1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a food composite capable of performing a function of large bowel regulation and improvement in constipation.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hitherto, food fibers, food stuffs containing bifido bacterium, and oligosaccharides performing an action of multiplying bifido bacterium have been suggested as food materials effective for intestinal adjustment and improvement in constipation. Generally, dietary fibers are divided into water-soluble dietary fibers and insoluble ones, and their typical physiological functions have been reported as follows:
(1) function of reducing cholesterol in serum and liver; PA1 (2) function of saving the increase of blood glucose; and PA1 (3) function of regulating large bowel. PA1 (a) After a hydrolysis with .alpha.-amylase, or after a hydrolysis with glucoamylase following the hydrolysis with .alpha.-amylase, the solution is refined through known processes of filtration, decolorization, and deionization. PA1 (b) After completing of the treatment (a), a further treatment separates dextrin fraction with chromatography by ion-exchange resins.
Among those functions, the large bowel regulation is generally said effective for preventing intestinal disorders by the improvement of intestinal flora, the acceleration of large bowel persitalsis through water absorption as well as volume effect, the normalization of internal pressure of large intestines, the increase of feces amount, the dilution of harmful objects, and the inhibition of harmful object. It is also said that the insoluble fibers represented by cellulose perform not only desirable physiological functions such as inhibition from increase of blood glucose, restraint of absorption of cholesterol, but also undesirable function of inhibiting absorption of useful metals because of high viscosity. Moreover, such high viscosity pertinent to the insoluble dietary fibers make it difficult to be taken in in a large amount, thus uses of the insoluble dietary fibers being quite limited.
On the other hand, it is said that oligosachhadrides having an action of multiplying bifido bacterium are not absorbed in the alimentary canal, but, reaching the colon, they are conduced by intestinal bacteria, in particular, bifido bacterium; that acid produced as a result of such conduciveness stimulates intestinal walls; and that difference in conduciveness of other bacterias brings change in intestinal florae, all of the foregoing actions eventually resulting in intestinal adjustment.
In this respect, it is to be noted that the intestinal flora vary widely due to ages and eating habits of individual persons. Furthermore, there are various conduciveness depending upon the kinds of oligosaccharides. For example, it is certain that some of them performs a function of multiplying bifido bacterium, but they also performs a function of multiplying other harmful bacteria, thus there being no absolute superiority among them.
Moreover, oligosaccharides are often used as sweetening agent, and since they are of low molecular substance not to be absorbed in the alimentary canal and go down to the colon, they sometimes result in diarrhea.
The inventors of the present application have already noticed the existence of indigestible substance contained in pyrodextrin that has never been considered as food material and developed a method for preparing indigestible dextrin to be used as a food material from the mentioned pyrodextrin. Furthermore, the inventors have examined and seeked for physiological functions of indigestible dextrin as a dietary fiber, and have come up with a novel idea of further developing a food composite performing a function of large bowel regulation from the indigestible dextrin.
Dietary fibers are usually defined as "the whole of indigestible ingredients that are contained in foodstuff and are not digested by man's digestive enzymes" or "the indigestible high polymer compounds that are contained in foodstaff and have physiological activities". In this sense, it may be said that the indigestible dextrin is one of dietary fibers.